Hi,I’ll be seeing a doctor about this soon, but thought I’d throw it out here in case anyone else experiences this or knows about it?

I’ve had a super-fast metabolism as long as I can remember, but in the past 12months since I’ve been exercising a lot more, it’s gone into overdrive. The first few attempts at a 80km+ ride gave me the symptoms of hypoglycaemia i.e. dizziness, feeling faint, tingling in the arms/legs and starting to hallucinate. Pretty scary at the time, but as soon as food goes in it’s all good. Doing 100km+ rides on the weekends now and if I don't pack enough food, I'm in big trouble. For example, last ride I took 4 bananas, two trail bars, a protein bar, stopped for a spinach/feta pie & choclate milk.. as well as two water bottles of Endura.. I was ok.. just.

It’s starting to affect a normal working day whereby if I don’t eat by 10am (after a big breakfast) the symptoms come back – feeling faint etc. Could it be that my metabolism is just very high and I have to eat accordingly with complex carbs, low g.i. food? Just hoping it’s not something more serious like diabetes??

Your description sounded just like you haven't ate enough and lacked endurance. In any case, it's normal for people needing to refuel on long rides. The quantity required depends on the individuals' preparation, body characteristics, intensity of activity, past eating habits amongst other factors.

There's no harm in getting it checked out by your family doctor, just in case you have some rare conditions that I am not even going to name for fear of generating more paranoia.

if you were diabetic the sugar would be super high not low. I am a Type 1 diabetic and the symptoms you describe are very similar to a hypo or low blood sugar but I do know people who just need more food than "avarage" for example my wife if not eating regularly feels very ill and has at times become very lethrgic and weak almost passing out. I would be consulting a GP for a referal to a specialist and ask for a referal to a specialist in food and your body re the issue with your metabolism. Never go to natropaths and such as they dont have the training and skills to treat you effectively, but they do take your money.Bill

TdF 2011: as Cadel Evans crosses the finish at Alpe-d’Huez: "I reckon tonight in hindsight he may have won the Tour de France tomorrow." The man Phil Ligget !!!

Good thing to get the doctor to check you over anyway, but the cause might bepretty simple novice errors.

Dizziness can occur because bloods not getting to your head real well, and that can happen because dehydration (lack of sufficient water/electrolytes) will deplete your bloodvolume and reduces circulation to your head.

Two bottles (assuming 750 ml) per 100 km ride (about 3 to 4 hours ?) reads as less than enough. Depends a bit on the heat and sweating, but a good starting point is a bottleper hour.

It's important to realise that your thirst is not a good guide to how much water you needto take in. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Take a small drinkevery 20 minutes so that you don't ever feel thirsty.

Sports dietitians advice is also to take in a small amount of (quality) nutrition along the way too. As with thirst, don't wait tilyou feel hungry.

Cheers

WombatK

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia

Diet makes a huge difference. I used to have irregular eating patterns, and rarely made time for breakfast. Making time to eat properly and avoiding processed stuff has helped massively.

I think it takes a while to get to know what your body needs to sustain regular exercise. If you are feeling like that, it is probably an indicator that you need to make some changes. I'm sure your doctor can make some suggestions or refer you to a dietitian.

wombatK wrote:Dizziness can occur because bloods not getting to your head real well, and that can happen because dehydration (lack of sufficient water/electrolytes) will deplete your bloodvolume and reduces circulation to your head.

wombatK wrote:Dizziness can occur because bloods not getting to your head real well, and that can happen because dehydration (lack of sufficient water/electrolytes) will deplete your bloodvolume and reduces circulation to your head.

Two possibilities I can think of...1) Blood in your urine - not a good thing to ignore. See a doctor ASAP. There are benign reasons for this,but you need to eliminate the sinister ones.2) You have a pink toilet bowl.